Connecticut western news., 1887-04-20

RlNe enpuoSlS 10 the feelings 10 WN1cn l have referred.
 If this change is made it will reverse the order of business somewhat in Litchfield county. Of the business of the courts, six sevenths Is ill the valleys; and if the change is made, the courts will necessarily 20 into the valleys. thereby saving the parties liti- gant and witnesses much expense. Let us look at this as a business proposition. Suppose you own n coal mine and an iron ore mine on the line of the Connecticut Western railroad near Talcott mountain, would it be good judgment to erect your 1 furnace on top of the mountain, drag your raw materials up the sides of the moun- tain and when finished for market, haul your products down again to the railroads ? Would method of doing business be practical or sentimental? Yet l am pained to say that it represents practically the scheme which insists in the mainte- , nance of the court business of Litchfield county on Litchfield Hill.
 Judge Harrison introduced Mir. Lyman Cunning with much gusto, as if he were l an important witness. He said he lived in North Canaan, had been county commits sioner for nine years and had been often to Ltchfeld Hill. When he was asked if he had heard any complaints of inconvenience from people going to court there, I was l anxious to hear what his answer might be. He replied that he had. Every one of the answers to the five questions put by Judge Harrison was in our favor. He said that the only time when the county commits sioners, of whom he was one for nine years, met outside of Litchfeld Hill was in Thom- aston, and that the people who appeared before them, not only thanked but blessed s them for coming down from that inaccessi- ble and inconvenient point Litchfeld Hill to the valley on the line of the rail- road.
 Though Judge Harrison has unfairly treated our testimony, will not resort to his kind of tactics. When he says he has all the distinguished and good men upon his side of this case, he is wrong; for all of the witnesses are good men. Up in Litch- field county they call such acts by an at torney pettifogging; do not know what it is called in New Haven.
 It has been claimed that we did not have but 34 days of Superior Court last year, but it was not explained that this was ow- ing to the fact that at the beginning of the June term our courthouse was burned and | the business of the court in consequence, may have been more or less demoralized l throughout the year. For the past five years the Superior Court in Litchfeld
 county has averaged more than 50 days ses-
 sion in each year, and if that court could
 have been reached conveniently and econ-
 omically, we should have averaged from 75
 to 100 days.
 Gentlemen, permit me to submit an esti-
 mate of the saving to Litchfield county if
 the bill now under consideration becomes
 . law.
 Two court-houses to be furnished, con-
 veyed to the county, and maintained for
 ever thereafter, free of expense to the county.
 Cost of jails in Winsted and New
 Milford, $4o.oo
 Two jail sites not to exceed 2OOO $42 GOO Deduct amount to be contributed by Winsted and New Milford,
 ($1O.O each), $2O. 900 Total cost to the whole county, $22. GOO Deduct value of jail site at Litch-
 field, 10000
 Net cost to the whole county, $12.OOO
 Less Winsted and New Affords
 proportion of county tax.
 which is about 19 and 3-2O'ths
 per cent. 23OO , Cost to the rest of the county, $9. 700
 This will locate the court houses md jails at convenient, accessible, ,and economi-
 cal places, which are business centers of : the county, and on lines of railroads, and which are easy of access to not only 44.OO0 out of 52.O00 population of the county, but to the rest of the state, and make sav- } ing to the county of Litchfeld, according to estimates. of *48.OOO on which per : cent. interrst would be $2.4O0, and that is . about $1 .OOO per year more than the extra cost of maintaining two jails. Cost to the county by the Litchfield prop osition and estimates:
 J. G. Batterson's estimate of cost of court house, 1855. 900 Deduct amount to be contributed by Litchfeld, 15.OOO :, Total cost to county of court
 house alone, $2O. .OO0 Less Litchfeld's proportion of s county tax, (about 7and 6-10'ths per cent). 1.500 f Cost to the rest of the county, of court house alone, $1s.5OO By this proposition the county seat is to
 be continued at an inconvenient, inaccessi- ble and expensive place, as regards at least 8 A ,OOO out of 52, 900 population of the , county, together with m old jail that has 8 been built 75 years, with IS cells, and an f average of 30 to 35 prisoners, which jail |. was condemned by vote of the county rep e resentati, >s in 1875, and which, if rebuilt, - as it must be in the near future, will, ac- t cording to MT. Batterson's estimates, be a @ further cost to the county of 1000, the
 
 D entire county, making total expenditure d to the county, if there is no change of coun- e ty seat made, of sB6O.OOO.
 l. Now, gentlemen, what are the prefer f ences of majority of the people of Litch- l. field county upon this subject. This can e be ascertained by the examination of a cer- t tain record now in evidence before you. l. Our Court House was burned in June, r nearly 10 months ago. In August last a j. meeting of the representatives and senators n from the county was held for the purpose it of laying tax for the erection of Court r. House upon Litchfeld Hill. That meeting j., was adjourned without accomplishing itt ,- purpose. An adjourned meeting was held d in November for the same purpose, and nc y tax was laid Then the matter came before l. the senators and representatives from Ii Litchfeld county at Hartford. At that e time the Winchester and New Milford prop le osition was formulated and known. Tht IS friends of the new enterprise saw no neces g sity for the levying of a tax until some de Is cisive action had been taken with reference J. to the location of the new court house ol
 court houses. They therefore proposed ar le adjournment of the meeting which was re le sisted by the adherents of .Litchfeld Hill n The meeting, however, voted to adjourn 70 by q vote of 24 to l5, which is the Onl, H. test vote that has been taken fairly and of re icialiy on this question of preference. l. vote of almost two to one practically in ia